Then why does it feel that way?
by ec80
Summary: Eric has a hard time with a case after he comes back to work. He is feeling guilty for something and Calleigh is there for him even though things changed, or haven't they?
1. Chapter 1

Hi, this is my first fic...this kinda of came to mind when I was watching something on TV. Hope you like it, andreviews are highly appreciated. Good or Bad. :)

***

He was listening to her interview the victims brother and the victims parents. It had been a week since he came back to work from the second brain surgery he has had in his life. He stayed away from work longer then he did the first time he had surgery, because he knew he wasn't ready to come back. Physically and stayed away for two months, spent most of his time going to doctors to make sure everything was ok, the rest he spent either at home or sitting at the beach. Those two months gave him a lot of time to think about his life.

Mostly about things that happened in his past...made him think about howimmature he was back then, about the loss of his best friend, about almost being deported to Cuba, finding out who his real father was, about the relationships he got involved in, if you want to call them that. About being sued for something he wasn't really wrong for, being suspended for testing positive for marijuana, which wasn't his. He had time to think about him and calleigh and he thought a lot about his sister, Marisol. That's why this case was bothering him.

He sat there listening to Calleigh ask Alex, the victim's brother questions about his sister. She was asking him what he remembered, since he was there when his sister was murdered. His parents thought Alex had been a bad influence in his sister life and once they found out he had been at the scene of the murder they started blaming him for her death. Eric heard calleigh telling them to calm down and stop blaming the kid before anything was proven, but they didn't stop. Eric didn't know what to do, because throughout the yelling and crying all he could think about was his sister. All he did was sit there, as if he was stuck to the chair and stared at Alex. He saw how Alex started crying and telling them he was sorry, that he tried to save her but wasn't able to. Eric saw that he did feel guilty for his sister death, which later they found out he wasn't. They were just at the wrong place at the wrong time and his sister got killed by mistake. Calleigh was shocked when Eric just got up from his seat and left, she looked at him for some explanation but he didn't even look back, just got up and left.

She finished the interrogation and went to her lab, she was looking out of her lab when she saw him talking to Horatio and then walked towards the locker rooms. About 5 minutes later, he walked out with his bag on and holding his car keys. She noticed he looked distant, kind of sad. She wondered what could've happened that made him walk out like that, it wasn't like him to just do that. Then she realized what the case was about, a girl being killed while her brother was there and Alex wasn't able to help her. Marisol, he was remembering Marisol, which was never a easy topic for him.

Horatio walked into her lab a couple of minutes later and told her that she would be working the case with Ryan because Eric had to leave.

_" Is he ok?" _calleigh asked him, she knew he would understand what she was talking about.

"_ He's fine, just asked to go home early, he wasn't felling to good." _Horatio replied while standing there with his hands on his hip.

_" The case, I think it kind of got to him...reminded him of Marisol" _she continued, not sure if she should mention marisol, since it was a hard topic for horatio as well.

Horatio nodded. _" I believe so ma'am, but he'll be fine, just needs a little time." _

calleigh nodded and with that Horatio left the lab. She tried to go back to work and not worry to much about Eric.

After the case was finally closed she went to her locker room to get her stuff so she could head home. She looked at her phone and checked what time it was, it was only 6:45pm, she was surprised it didn't take as long as she thought it would to close the case. She then checked to see if she had any missed calls or text, she was checking to see if she got any from Eric actually. But she didn't see any. She wasn't really surprised since they had taken a break. After he got out of the hospital she decided and him aswell (after a while) that they probably needed a break to work some things out. She had to be honest and say that she did miss him, a lot...and even thought they haven't been talking much she still cared a whole lot about him, more then she cared to admit to him and herself.

She got her bags and started walking towards her car, on the way home she took a different rout. A rout that would take her past his place, she just needed to see if he was home, just make sure he was ok, because if he was at home that she'd be a little relieved that maybe he was doing ok.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for those who reviewed and those who read it aswell. I hope you like this chapter.

***

She found herself parking her car across from his house and saw that his car was parked on the driveway. She decided to text him just to make sure he was doing ok, because if not she was already there to call for help. It felt weird because even though they weren't together, she still felt the need to make sure he was ok, to be there for him.

_" Hi " - Calleigh _. She sat there and 15 seconds later her phone beeped.

_" Hey, Sorry about just walking out on you at the lab, during interrogation. didn't mean to." - Eric._

_" Don't worry about it, Ryan helped me out with the rest of the case. Are you ok, Eric?" - Calleigh._

_" Don't worry, I'm alright." - Eric_

Eric was sitting down on his couch, watching something on TV and when his phone beeped he was surprised that it was Calleigh who texted him. He got up from the couch and started pacing around, something about talking to her made him nervous. While waiting for her reply he looked outside his window, trying to find something to keep him occupied. That's when he froze in place, he saw a blue car that was very familiar to him. But it couldn't be her. He looked closer and there she was...Calleigh sitting in her blue Chrysler across the street. It made him smile a little, that even though they had taken a break, she still had that protective side of her, always wanting to make sure he was doing ok. The sound of his phone beeping broke his thoughts.

_" ok then. hum call me if you need anything. See you tomorrow at work" - calleigh_

He read her text and sighed, he needed her. He needed someone to talk at the moment or maybe someone to just be there with him...because if he didn't he was going to either do something stupid or go off at the first situation that goes wrong and that was never a good thing. So he looked outside, and when he saw that she was still siting there, he ran his hand over his head and text her.

_" hum you want to come in?" - eric_

When he sent it, he looked outside to see her reaction, if she'd realize that he knew she was parked across his house. He laughed a little, when she looked up from her phone towards his house. She had this look on her face which he found it adorable, as if she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't have. When she caught his eyes, she smiled a little and then he disappeared from behind the window.

She thought he was mad that she was there and texted her that to make her feel stupid or something. But when he opened the door and stood there...she realized that he'd never do that, because again, this was Eric. Eric would never make her feel like that on purpose. She thought about just driving away but decided against it. She got out of her car and slowly started walking towards his front door, where he was standing. She was glad he wasn't so close to her when she realized that he knew she was outside, because when she read the text she felt her cheeks turn bright red.

_" hey "_ he said standing at the door.

_" Hi, I hum...I just hum dropped by to see if you were ok, horatio told me you weren't feeling to good. " _she said trying to make things less awkward then they already were.

_" hum yeah, I'm sorry about earlier...I got a really bad headache all of the sudden, went to take my medication but realized I left it here at home, so I asked to leave."_ he said, trying to give her a explanation for leaving like that.

_" oh ok, did you take it? you feeling better?"_ she asked concerned, she knew brain surgery wasn't something to take easy, so whenever he got those headaches it worried her.

_" yeah I did, as soon as I got home, headache is starting to go away." _he replied

_" good good, you look really tired." _she said looking at him, she hasn't seen him like this in a while, well not since he was at the hospital, but then again...she hasn't seen much of him since then.

_" hum yeah, haven't gotten much sleep lately." _part of it was true, he hadn't been sleeping much lately, but he didn't want to talk about what was really bothering him when she was standing there at his door and then he realized that they were still standing at the door.

_" hum I'm sorry Calleigh"_ he said moving aside, so she'd be able to walk in. _"come on in."_

She walked in and stood there while he closed the door. She kind of missed being here, at his place, everything looked the same since the last time she'd been there. Before the whole sharova thing.

He asked if she would like anything to drink or if she was hungry. He noticed from the time and the clothes that she was wearing that she drooped by to check on him right after work. She said she was ok, but would like some water. He started walking towards the kitchen, while she sat down on his couch. As he was returning from the kitchen, he stood by the column that divided the kitchen from his living room. He watched her as she sat there looking at one of the many magazines he had laid out on the coffee table.

He missed having her there with him. He missed coming home from working a double and finding her there at his house, waiting for him, or at least trying. Because most of the times he would just walk in to find her sleeping peacefully on his couch, with the TV on mute. Those moments he'd just sit on the chair that was placed across from the couch and he'd watch her. It amazed him that she could look so perfect while doing anything, specially sleeping. He never found himself watching someone sleep. He always thought there was nothing interesting about it. But when it came to Calleigh, everything she did somehow always caught his attention, and she always led him to do and try things he never had before. He was brought back to reality when he noticed his hands were becoming wet from the the cold water bottle he was holding, which was now starting to become warmer. He started walking towards her, and then it hit him again, how perfect she looked right now, just sitting there on his living room, reading a magazine.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much for the reviews, I hope you all are enjoying the story. :)

He started walking towards her once again, and then it hit him again, how perfect she looked right now, just sitting there reading a magazine...

***

He walked into the living room and handed her the water bottle while she placed the magazine back on the table. He took a seat next to her, not so close so their shoulders were touching. She drank the water and he watched as she placed the cap back on and placed the bottle on the table. She leaned back against the couch. He was the first to break the silence.

_" So how did the case go? "_ He asked, it was the first thing he could come up with to start a conversation. Plus he would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in the outcome.

_" We were able to close it, didn't take as long as I thought it would have."_ she replied.

_" Found the killer? "_ he asked looking at her.

_" Yea, she was killed by mistake. killer thought she was someone else, a girl he was assigned to kill. He admitted after we were able to prove that he was at the scene, and Alex recognized him. Said he saw him running after his sister got shot."_

_" How's Alex? "_ He asked, he remembered the parents were being pretty harsh on him.

_" He's doing alright, I guess. Seems like a good kid, just mixed up with some people that aren't a good influence in his life."_

_" Yea, he seems like a nice kid."_ he said barely above a whisper.

_" His parent's were really harsh on him, the way they were yelling and stuff. I don't know how you could do that to your own kid, no matter how much trouble he may be_ " she replied, remembering the scene at the interrogation room.

_" Tell me about it, it was like they were sure his sister death was his fault."_

Calleigh looked at him, when he said this, something about the tone of his voice told her, that indeed this case had bothered him. She watched him as he sat there. The back of his head was leaning on the back of the couch. His eyes were close and his lips pressed tightly together. One of his arms was hanging loosely next to him on the couch, while the other rested on his left thigh. She didn't know if she should reveal this to him, that she knew something was bothering him. But Eric wasn't stupid, they knew each other for 8 years, and dated for 7 months. He knew, that she noticed something was wrong, because it wasn't normal for calleigh to just show up at his house, without notice. When they were going out it was fine, because his house became her second home, but not before they were dating or after they broke up. So either something was wrong with her, or she was there to make sure he was ok. By the look on her face when she reached his door, he knew it was option number two.

Since Calleigh knew that he knew, she decided to bring it up, maybe he needed to talk about whatever it was bothering him, she was 99% sure it had to do with his sister.

_" Do want to talk about it? "_ She asked.

Eric wasn't one to bring up something that was bothering him out of nowhere, he sometimes did if someone asked him. He used to be a very open person, still is, but not as much as before. He had mature a lot in way, since he got shot the first time. He became more focused on things that really mattered to him. He didn't go around having one night stands. He was more responsible. It was like it opened his eyes, to see how life could change in the blink of an eye. He was different, but at the same time still the same. Calleigh had to admit that she loved this new side of him. It was probably what lead her to see Eric in a different light.

_" About what? "_ He asked, slowly opening his eyes to look at her.

_" What really happened today?"_ she said, and when he didn't reply she continued. _" You're not one to walk out on a interrogation like that, what's bothering you? "_

He didn't reply. She watched him as he closed his eyes, bit his lip and shook his head. Trying to tell her nothing was bothering him, without actually saying it. His action made her realize even more that something was really bothering him, because Eric wasn't one to show that kind of expression. Calleigh? yeah, but Eric, no.

"_ Eric, even though things are a little different between us right now, I'm still here for you. So talk to me please, i know something is bothering you, I know it probably has to do with your sister because of the case. So please talk to me?"_ she said _" I'm here to at least listen."_

She watched him as he had his eyes closed, his head was still resting at the back of the couch, and he was bitting his bottom lip. She knew he was probably trying to fight the urge to cry, trying to find a way to tell her what he was felling. She hadn't seen him like this, not since speed and his sister first died.

Then she touched him for the first time in almost 2 months. She was trying to comfort him, so she placed her hand over his, the one that was resting on his lap. He was little shocked when he felt her hands on the back of his. Without opening his eyes or saying anything, he turned his hands, palm faced up and when their palms kissed he linked their fingers together and squeezed it gently for a second. A way of letting her know that he appreciated it. She sat there next to him without saying a word, right now she knew he needed the silence to probably gather his thoughts. She laid back the same way he was next to her, but she never let his hands go. He knew she was concerned and after a couple of minutes, she heard him say something...


	4. Chapter 4

Wow thank you so much for all the reviews. Sorry for taking a little long to upload the this and the next chapter, it's just that im about to start school again and things have been a little busy. So I apologize. After you done, please review if you can. :) I highly appreciate all the support and I hope you guys like the next 2 chapter :)

_She laid back the same way he was next to her, but she never let his hands go. After a couple of minutes, she heard him say something..._

***

_"She shouldn't have been there."_ A defeated tone in his voice, told her this was sort of serious.

His statement got her attention _" who? your sister?_" she asked.

Eric never talked to her about the murder of his sister and if she wasn't mistaken he didn't talk about it with anyone who at work, or even his family. She was pretty sure the only person he talked to about this was his therapist

_" Yeah, she didn't need to be there calleigh, she was there because of me"_ his voice started strong and went to a little over a whisper towards the end.

_" Eric..."_ but he cut her off.

_" Gloria broke her car window and took her purse, she called me freaking out because she thought it was someone trying to kill her, because of the __case Horatio was involved with, the mala noche trying to kill him"_ he said.

Calleigh didn't know about this _" What happened? "_ she asked, she felt like maybe he needed to get this off his chest.

_" I told her not to worry, it was just some girl that had threatened all my ex-girlfriends and then thought she was my wife. "_ he chuckled a little and calleigh smiled.

_" I told her I'd meet her at that place so i could give her purse back."_ he said biting his lip again. _" I went to Gloria's house and talked to her, like you told me to __that day. Pretty much told her to stay away or I'd arrest her . Then retrieved my sister's purse and left."_

_" Eric you didn't know they were going to be there."_ she said, she knew where he was going with this, from his first words she knew he felt responsible.

_" I never told anyone this, but..."_ he got quiet, looked at the ceiling and closed his eyes again. Calleigh saw two tears fall down his face, she felt the urge to wipe them away, but decided against _"but I feel so guilty for her death, Calleigh."_

_" Eric..."_ she said fighting the urge not to cry herself, she never thought he felt this way._ "it wasn't your fault."_ her voice cracking a bit.

_" Then why does it feel that way, Cal?"_ he said opening his eyes and looking at her. He didn't care if she saw him crying, because this was calleigh. The one person that he was always able to be himself with and not be judged. Except with the whole sharova thing, but he couldn't blame her, he would've probably done the same thing. Right now he hoped that she would be able to forgive him for getting involved, for not letting her know.

He didn't give her time to answer. _" Everytime I think about her i can't help but feel guilty...because of my stupid decisions, my actions, she's dead now"_

_" What do you mean Eric?"_

_" Gloria, that's what I mean. "_ letting out a sarcastic laugh. _"If I hadn't been stupid to get involved with someone like that, this never would've happened._

_She wouldn't have broken her window and stolen her purse, then she fucking wouldn't have to meet me there, where they shot her. She would be at home or somewhere else, being watched by the officer that Horatio assigned to her" _he was almost yelling now.

_" Eric "_ she said a little above a whisper _" Eric listen to me"_ she said turning her body to face him, placed both of her hands on his face so he would look at her.

_" Please Eric don't do this to yourself, it wasn't your fault that she was shot, you did everything you could to help her. You didn't know Gloria was going to do __something like that, You couldn't have possibly know she was going to break your sister window and steal her purse and the guy that shot Marisol would've __probably found her, no matter where she was. They had a hit on her."_

He looked down when she removed her hands from his face_ " Today, when Alex parents started blaming him for his sister death, it was like i was listening to __them blame me for Mari's death. I saw my parents yelling at me and Horatio saying that I should have protected her."_ he shook his head, another tear falling down his eyes "_ If I'm not responsible Calleigh...then why do I feel so guilty?"_ he asked looking up at her.

He knew she probably didn't have the answer, but he needed someone to help him, someone to be there for him. He needed her to say something that would at least make a little bit of that guilty go away.

She was quietly looking at him, trying to think of how to put into words what she wanted to tell him. That's why he left the interrogation room, he felt guilty and saw the people he cared about blaminb him for the death of his sister, just like they were doing it to Alex. She didn't really know the answer, all she knew was that he wasn't guilty for his sister death, far from it. 

_" Probably because you feel bad that she died and you didn't, since you were there with her. But Eric...I know, and everyone __knows you love your sister more then anything. I know and saw that you did everything you could to help her Eric. Don't blame yourself. We always want to find a __explanation for why the people we love leave, but don't blame yourself for it, it only makes the pain worst. No one's blaming you, no one even thought about blaming __you for it, so please stop blaming yourself, for something that was completely out of your hands"_

_" I miss her so much." _he replied in a whisper that she was barely able to hear.

_" I know you do, I know you do."_

_" I thought the pain would go away you know? after all these years. but I don't know, it doesn't. You just learn to deal with it I guess."_

_" I can't really say i know how you feel, i never lost any close family member, but I can only imagine. I wish i knew what to tell you right now, but i don't. I don't even __think you can tell someone something to make them feel better when it comes to the death of someone they love."_

He was quiet, his eyes red from tears, they were now focused on a picture of him and his sister, that was on top of a shelf. She wanted to tell him something that would hopefully make him feel better, make him understand that he had been an amazing brother, and that Marisol was lucky to have someone like him.

_" Marisol loved you, and she knew that you love her more then anything. Everyone does. You did things for her that took a lot of courage Eric. You worked doubles __just so you could pay her rent, pay her bills, buy her food, because you knew she wasn't able to work. You were worried about her when she got involved with Horatio when she was sick, because your wanted what was best for her. You occasionally bought her marijuana to alleviate her pain __and nausea, even though you could've gone to jail if you got caught. But that never matter to you, because you knew it would make her feel better for at few __minutes, and that's all it mattered to you, Eric"_

shaking his head he looked at her and said _" It's nothing compared to what she did for me."_

She couldn't help the urge to wipe his tears away, so she ran her thumb under his eyes and wiped them. _" I'm sure she's just as thankful, for everything you did __for her."_ she added smiling.

He places one of his hands over one of hers that was resting on his face, and that was when he smiled at her. It was on of those quick sad/shy smiled but it was the first "real" smile he gave her since she got there.

He just nodded his head, trying to tell her that he understood what she was telling him. _" Thank you, Calleigh."_ he said softly, then added "_ For everything."_

"_ I'll always be here for you."_ she said. "_ no matter what."._ She wanted him to understand that even though they weren't together, she'd always be there for him. When they first started their relationships, even before, that was one thing she worried about. If things didn't work out between them, would their friendship be ruined aswell?. He hurt her, big time. But she knew he was a good person, he was there for her when the everyone else disappeared. He was there for her, at the moments when she knew she was hurting him the most. Her relationship with Hagen, with Jake...

_" I know."_ he said. _" you always have."_ he said looking at her.

Things were starting to get a little personal, so she looked away from his gaze and grabbed her water bottle and took a sip of it, before they do something they'd both regret.

_" You feeling better?"_ she asked.

He nodded "_ yeah, i guess talking about it helped. Still feeling a little responsible, but it'll take a while to process everything you told me. but I'm feeling better. __Thank you."_

_"No problem, just try to remember, when you feel like this, that none of it was your fault. or just give me a call and I'll keep reminding you"_ she said with a smile.

He returned it and nodded.

_" So anything else your feeling guilty about ?"_ she asked trying to make him laugh a little, and it worked.

He laughed. _" Maybe, but I'll let you know about the rest later. I think I got emotional enough for today."_ He wanted to tell her how he felt guilty for their breakup. He hoped that when he'd tell her this, she'd reassure him that it wasn't his fault, just like she did a few minutes ago about Marisol. But he knew she wouldn't because this time it was mostly his fault. He wanted to get back with her, he really missed her. Missed having her there with him, he didn't realize that until now. Having her there with him, trying to make him feel better. But he would save this conversation for some other time. Because right now he was emotionally drained and he would probably just scare her away. He was about to ask her if she would like anything to eat, when her cellphone started to ring.

_" Excuse me, Eric"_ she said, pointing towards the phone.


	5. Chapter 5

_" Excuse me, Eric"_ she said, pointing towards the phone.

***

He just nodded, got up from the couch and went to the kitchen to give her some privacy and to also get himself something to drink. When he returned, he saw she was standing and was putting her cellphone in her bag. It looked like she was about to leave.

_" Everything ok?"_ he asked from behind her.

_" yeah yeah, I got go though, I forgot I have a appointment in about 20 minutes."_ she said laughing.

_" Oh ok. Sorry about...you know and thank you"_ he said waving his hands around the room.

_" No worry Eric."_ she said smiling. _" If you need anything call me alright? "_

_" of course, thank you."_ he said walking towards her. "_ let me walk you to the door."_

He opened it, and stood there..."_ alright, out you go."_ he said.

She laughed because she remember seeing with him, this guy saying this to a girl in a movie. They laughed the entire night, thinking of what kind of guy would say that to a girl. The guy said he was trying to kick the girl out in a nice way, even though it didn't sound like that.

Her laugh and her nearness made Eric's pulse race.

_" you kicking me out Delko?"_ she asked playfully.

_" hum yeah, only because i know you have to leave anyway. Plus I always wanted to say that."_ he replied smiling.

she looked at him as if he was crazy._ "Don't ask"_ he replied laughing.

_" Well I'm out, since I'm not welcomed here."_ she said rolling her eyes, he mirrored her.

She started walking towards her car and as she got in, she waved towards him. He did the same.

About two hours later as he was sitting in the living room eating pizza and watching TV, remembered that he had to attend this pool party at his parents house the next day. So he called his mom to make sure the event was still on and what time he needed to be there.

_" hey ma, it's me."_

_" hi Eric, you coming tomorrow?"_

_" that's why I'm calling, wanted to know if the thing is still on?"_

_" of course, everyone is coming."_

_" sounds fun, what time you want me there?"_ he asked while flipping some channels.

_" Anytime son, just don't get here to late. Be good if you were here before noon."_

_" yeah ok then, I'll set my alarm."_

_" make sure you do, so you don't over sleep"_ she said laughing, she knew Eric never wakes up if he doesn't set an alarm.

_" yeah yeah, don't worry ma."_

" _you bringing Calleigh?"_ she asked, even though she knew they had broken up. But something told her that whatever they had going on wasn't over yet.

His heart started racing a little when she mentioned Calleigh's name. "_ Ma, you know..."_ before he could finish his mom cut him off.

_" I know Eric, but you guys are still friends, i think you should."_

_" we are ma, but it's just not the same."_

_" what you mean Eric?"_

_" in a way we both hurt each other mom. I probably more then her..."_ he replied honestly.

_" make it up to her."_ Gosh, his mom made everything sound so simple.

_" it's not that simple, plus things changed."_

_" you sure?"_ she asked.

_" I got to go ma, but I'll see you tomorrow, promise."_ he said

_" ok son, Te amo."_

_" tambien. bye."_

He sat there in his living room, wondering about what his mom had said. She made things sound so simple._ "make it up to her."_ It wasn't that easy, if he could he would. She also hurt him, but he knew it was his fault, he lead her to do it. He wondered if he should ask her if she wanted to join him to the pool party tomorrow, like his mom said he should. They both had the day off, since Horatio called him, saying to not come in the next day, just take the day to do whatever he wanted. This was probably his chance to really apologize to her, make her understand what had been going on his life and that his intentions were never to hurt her. He thought back about what his mom said when he told her things had changed. _" You sure?"._ He didn't know what to reply, because honestly he didn't know. He knew things between them changed, but today he realized that his most of his feelings towards her hadn't. The question was, had hers?...

His phone beeped again and when he checked that the text was from calleigh he smiled.

_" This girl always has perfect timing."_ he said out loud, while reading the text.

_" Is your headache gone? I forgot to ask" - calleigh_

_" It went away, I'm feeling better. thank you." - Eric_

_" Alright, ttyl." - calleigh._

_He took a deep breath and texted her back. " What you doing tomorrow?" - Eric_

_" Hum nothing, I have tomorrow off, almost forgot LOL." - calleigh_

_" would you hum, be willing to join me to a pool party?." - Eric_

_" at your parents? " - calleigh._ She knew it was probably at his parents, because she had been to many of those in the years she has known him. His family was amazing, and when they found out they finally started dating, they treated her like she was one of their own.

_" Yeah, my mom asked me to invite you. you know how she loves you LOL " - Eric_

_" they know about us?" - calleigh_. She wasn't sure if he told them. She didn't want to show up and for them to think they were still together, or for them to be mad at her because they had broken up and feel unwelcomed at their house.

_" They know, but we're still friends right? and your always welcomed there" - Eric._ He was getting nervous, maybe she didn't want to go.

" _Alright then, I'll go." - calleigh_

He was surprised when he read her text. _" you don't have to, if you don't want to calleigh." - Eric_

_" You said your mom told you to invited me. But i want to know...do you want me there?" - calleigh._

He took a little while to reply, he knew the answer to it. But something about telling her, made him nervous. But he wanted to be honest, something he sometimes hadn't done towards the end of their relationship.

_" Of course" - Eric_

_" see you tomorrow then." - calleigh_

_" pick you up at 10:00. Goodnight " - Eric_

_" goodnight Eric. " - calleigh._

Translation:

te amo : I love you

Tambien: Me too.

Review please? :)


	6. Chapter 6

When Calleigh got home she was dead tired. It had been a long day: working on this hard case, specially when you find out a innocent girl got killed. Then going to check up on Eric and having this emotional conversation with him, and more then she cared to admit it, it had affected her... the fact that he kept this inside and never told anyone. Then having to go to her appointment right after it. It was around 11:00 when she was finally able to reach her front door. What drained her the most it was the fact that she had worried about Eric ever since he left that interrogation room. She wondered if he was doing ok after the surgery. It took him longer to return to work then the first time, she wanted to ask him why, but hadn't gotten the chance to do so yet. She was surprised that he even talked to her about what he was feeling, and it shocked her even more when he texted her to go to his parents the next day. She was going to say no, but after she left his house he was the only thing she could think about. She missed him a lot, having him there with her after work, she missed the random text he would send her during the days saying random things that would make her smile, she missed his company. Even though he started acting different towards the end of their relationship, she knew something was going on that he didn't tell her. Thinking about maybe he wanted to, but was afraid. She remembers that day when they were at a crime scene and he excused himself to talk on the phone, something he never did around her. Then he lied to her when she asked who it was, by saying it was someone from the lab asking for information about some fingerprints. She was surprised when he told her later that day, that who he really was talking to was his father. She didn't know if she felt relieved that he told her the truth, or if she felt mad that he told her a lie in the first place. She didn't want him to get involved with his dad, because she knew he wasn't going to be the best influence in Eric's life and he could lead Eric to do something that could put him in danger, and that happened. She knew it would, because Eric just was that kind of person, he always saw the good in people, he always wanted to help and most of that times people used him and that usually lead him to trouble.

She took a quick shower, put on a pair of her favorite PJ's and walked into her kitchen. She decided to have a glass of milk and go straight to bed, since tomorrow was going to be an early day. As she got into bed she smiled at the thought of spending the day with Eric for the first time in months. She hoped everything would go well and maybe they'd be able to get into the same page about certain things. Because more then she acted to admit, she cared a whole lot about him. And after being with him today at his house, she realized that yeah...She was definitely still in love with him.

***

The sound of the alarm going off startled Eric out of his deep sleep, it took him a while to fall asleep the night before, because all he could think about was what would happen the next day and the things Calleigh had told him during their conversation. He flipped over the bed to look at the time, it read 9:15, so he just turned off the alarm and stayed there for about 5 minutes, before he started a shower. It was about 10:45 when he was ready to leave the house, and go pick up calleigh. He texted her when he was getting in his car to let her know he was on the way to her house.

_" On my way, is that ok?"_ - Eric

_" yeah, see you."_ - calleigh

He parked his car in front of her house, and as he was about to open the door, he found himself stopping his actions, when he noticed Calleigh walking out towards his car. The moment he saw her, he knew the reason why she didn't wait for him to get out and knock on her door like he usually did. She was trying to prevent that awkward greeting that had been going on between them the past few months, and in a way he was thankful for that. As he stared at her while she walked towards the passenger side, he could tell she was nervous and if he was being honest with himself he was as well. He kept telling himself he shouldn't be...they broke up, but they were still friends, he needed to put his feelings aside and act like...like they did back when they were friends. But as soon as he saw her at her door, all those thoughts went out the door. He couldn't pretend, he couldn't make his heart believe that he didn't have feelings towards her...because he did, he always have and maybe always would. He needed to talk to her today, tell her the truth about his feelings, explain why he did what he did, tell her he didn't mean to shut her out, tell her that he...

_" Hey Eric "_ Calleigh said opening the door of his car.

_" Hey calleigh, how you doing?"_

_" I'm good. How about you? Headache gone? "_

_" Yeah yeah it's gone for now, thank god! You ready to go? "_

_" Yeah."_

The rest of the ride there were spent making small talk. Both were trying to not think about what would be like to arrive together at his Parents house. Calleigh knew that his family wouldn't mention anything about them, if they knew about the break-up, which he said they did...and she knew that even if he hadn't told her, she would've known, because Eric wasn't one to keep something like this from his family, and she was pretty sure they had asked about them.

***

_" Tio Eric "_ was the first thing he heard as soon as he walked into the backyard of his parents house. He smiled when he saw one of his younger nieces running towards him with her arms open. He bent down and picked her up and gave her a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek.

She laughed and gave him a tight hug in return. It was then that she noticed who was standing behind him.

_" Tia Cawwie."_ She yelled, while reaching out to her...Eric was sort of surprised by the little girls excitment after seeing Calleigh standing there. He couldn't blame her, she hadn't seen calleigh ever since They'd broken up, around 2 months and a few days ago. He was kind of jealous of the little girl, she got to show how she really felt about having calleigh there without having to worry about anything.

He got closer to Calleigh in order to hand Maddie to Calleigh. He noticed the smile Calleigh had on her face, she loved maddie, even before they started dating. He could tell she had missed her, but he also noticed the uncomfortable look when maddie called her Aunt Calleigh. She started calling her that after she learned that calleigh was dating uncle Eric. They weren't dating anymore, and she wondered if his sister had told the little girls that.

_" Hi baby, how you been?"_ Calleigh asked holding the little girl in her arms.

_" I've been good tia Calleigh. I missed you."_ she said looking at calleigh

_" I've missed you too. You look so big"_ calleigh said tickling her belly.

Maddie laughed. _" tio Eric says I'm growing up to fast." _she said smiling

Calleigh laughed and looked at Eric who was attentively watching and listening to their conversation and smiled.

_" You are."_ He added pitching her nose playfully.

_" He said he doesn't like that I'm growing up to fast."_ Maddie added looking at calleigh, giving her a look as if saying that what uncle eric said made no sense

_" well that's because your tio eric is sad that he will not get to play as much with you after you grow up and then you going to start to like little boys, so he's gonna have to share you"_ calleigh said in a whisper.

_" ewww "_ maddie said and eric and calleigh laughed.

_" yeah baby, ewww. You need to stay away from boys, they're gross."_ eric said looking at maddie, then he looked at calleigh

_" I'm going to let my mom know we're here. You need anything?"_ he asked.

_" No I'm good. thank you."_

_" Want me to take her?"_ he asked nodding towards Maddie.

_" No no, I want to spend some time with her. I've missed her."_ Calleigh said looking at the little girl

_" Yeah we'--She has missed you a lot too." he_ added.

Calleigh just smiled and nodded.

_" I'll be back."_ he said and started walking towards the kitchen where he saw his mom, dad, sisters, grandma and other family members staring at them from the window smiling...and he had to smile at that as well.


	7. Chapter 7

Eric slowly opened the the glass door that lead from the kitchen to the backyard. He had to laugh a little at the way, each of his family members tried to act as if they had been busy and hadn't witnessed his arrival with Calleigh. He always knew they really liked Calleigh, they had always treated her nicely and were always more concern about her, then any of his other friends. He could always see the looks they would give him when she was around, the way they treated her as if she was part of the family. He knew that they would be very happy to find out that someday their friendship lead to something stronger, and he was right. The day they found out that Eric and Calleigh were dating, they couldn't be any happier and he def. understood why. Who wouldn't be happy to see someone they love, being with someone that cared about them, someone who was independent, who knew what she wanted, who respected him and his family, someone that cared strongly about him, someone who stood by their relative through many though circumstances. Calleigh had been that person in his life, and he remembers feeling like the luckiest guy in the planet the day that she decided to give their relationship a shot. But he also felt the worst feeling ever when he started to mess things up between them over something that he shouldn't have gotten involved with in the first place.

_" Hi baby brother "_ said his youngest sister Carla, as he closed the door to the kitchen.

_" Hi youngest/older sister. "_ He replied smiling, while walking up to her and giving her a hug. He hadn't seen her in a while since she had gotten a new job and was so busy with him on the other hand, had been busy with recovering and then going back to work. He missed her a lot, she reminded him a lot of Marisol, her personality and he was glad for that. It was as if a part of his sister was left behind in Carla.

He said hi to all his family members and hugged them and they started talking, most were curious about how he was doing and how work had been going since he had recently returned. He didn't want to really talk about it, but they deserved to know. He let them know he was fine and that the process was a little difficult but he had the help of some wonderful people. He never told them about the incident at the interview, which lead him to tell Calleigh things he had never shared with anyone before, not even his shrink. Just then he saw his niece attempting to open the back door, and she was having a difficult time, since she was still short to reach the handle. He laughed and got up to open it for her. Before he had the chance to ask her, what she wanted she was already talking.

_" Tio Eric, Tia Calleigh asked if you could give me your keys so she can get something she left in your car?"_ She said looking up at him and smiling.

He noticed how everyone sort of stopped talking to listen to the conversation. _" What did she leave in the car, princesa?"_ He asked maddie.

_" Hum idk, I forgot...Imma go ask her."_ She was about to run outside, when he grabbed her and laughed at the way she squealed. " Naw it's ok, princesa." He said while pulling out his keys from his pocket and handing them to maddie. _" Here give it to her, and don't lose it ok? Cuz if you do you're gonna have to give me a ride home on your barbie car."_ He said smiling at her.

At that Maddie laughed and so did everyone else. "_That's silly tio Eric, you don't fit in my barbie car."_ She said while walking towards the door. Last this he heard her say was "_ Plus I'm a __big girl, I don't lose things."_ at that he had to shake his head and his oldest sister, maddie's mom laughed.

_" So you brought Calleigh with you uh??"_ His mom asked trying to pretend she just figure that out. Eric just smiled and gave his mom this look..

_" Like you guys just noticed that..."_ he replied and when everybody tried to pretend they had no idea what he was talking about he added: _" I saw all you guys looking out the window.."_he said smiling.

_" We're just really excited you brought her Eric . You finally get to spend some time with her again, maybe that will cheer you up a bit....get you out of that cranky mood you've been in for __some time."_ his sister added. Since he was standing next to her he gave her a shove and told her that he has not been cranky for about some time. His other sister just told him to shutup and accept the fact that he has been cranky and that he gets upset over stupid things...and to get over the fact that the only person who can solve that is the one standing outside. He knew he wasn't going to win this fight, so he just gave up and told them whatever. He headed towards the back door to go check on Calleigh, but before he left he paused at the door and turned back around towards his family.

_" Hum I need to ask you guys a favor..."_ he said and after everyone got quiet he continued_..." I brought Calleigh, because mom asked me to yesterday, but things are still sort of rocky __between me and her, we're not back together or anything if any of you had that idea...so hum can you guys please keep some comments to yourself about us, so things aren't awkward __for her?"_ he asked.

_" yeah of course Eric."_ added his grandma.

_" thanks abuela"_ he replied with a sad smiling.

He started walking outside when he noticed Calleigh sitting on a bench by the lake at the back of his parents house. She looked beautiful, she looked also deep in thought. He looked around for his niece and didn't find her, so he headed towards Calleigh to see if she had any idea, where she'd be. Also to maybe talk to her, see how she was really doing, and maybe he could explain some things to her, let her know what he was feeling...about her this time.


	8. Chapter 8

So sorry for taking so long : ( . Please review. :)

***

As he was walking towards her, he had this weird feeling inside, as if his chest was really tight. He knew this was because of the situation between him and calleigh. He missed her, he knew that since the day he left the hospital to go home and she wasn't at the house. But standing this close to her and yet so far away at the same time, he realized how much he really did miss her, and he hated what he was feeling and really hoped to never feel this way again. He hoped to be able to talk to her, at least get her to forgive him for the way he acted towards her and the decisions he made without really listening to her. He had his reasons and he hoped that in some way she would be able to at least understand him...because he knew he hurt her and even if she was here with him, he knew that she was still feeling hurt. She loved him, even though they never said it to each other, it was fully expressed in her actions, so if he was feeling like this and he was the one who really hurt her, he could only imagine what she was feeling. If he didn't talk to her, he knew she wasn't going to say anything to him, because that's how calleigh was, she was a private person and even thought when they were together, she started to open up to him like she had never done before, certain things were still kept to herself...He never pushed her to tell him things all the times, but he always let her know that he was there for her, and eventually she would tell him, or sometimes she'd just lay there and hugged him.

He cursed himself for stepping in one of the toys that belonged to his niece, it was worst that it made these weird noises. It startled calleigh and she looked back towards his direction, surprised by how close he actually was, and she hadn't notice before, and wouldn't have had if he didn't step on the toy. The look on his face, made calleigh smile a little...he looked like he got caught doing some midnight tip toe when he wasn't supposed too.

_" Hi "_ He said smiling a little.

_" Hi "_ She replied softly, shaking her head.

He took a few steps towards her and sat next to her on the grass, he looked at her and she was looking into the lake behind his parents house.

_" I love the view in this place."_ she said

_" I know, me too..."_ He said looking in the same direction as her. _" I like coming here a lot to think, clear my mind."_

_" I can imagine."_ she said nodding.

"_ When I was younger, I used to lay down on the grass here and listen to music. "_ He said smiling to himself and Calleigh was now looking at him _" Marisol would come down from her room and sit next to me. I'd try to pretend __I didn't notice she was there and then she would make me talk to her, about what was bothering me."_ As he finished he looked at her, she hated this look...this hurt look in his eyes.

_"Did it work?"_ she asked.

He laughed. _" yeah it did, she never failed to help me out."_ He said.

_" You miss her uh? "_ calleigh asked, even though she already knew the answer.

_" A lot, Cal...like i told you, especially since i got out of the hospital. I'm stuck at home, don't feel like doing anything, __and I couldn't go back to work. My mind keeps running the entire day about things and people in my life...wished she __was here to help me through this"_

Calleigh looked from him towards the water, just then he looked at her, and he knew this was the time to tell her that those thoughts involved mostly her.

_" Thought a lot about her..."_ he took a deep breath, looking towards the lake _" Mostly about you though."_ He said and when he felt her eyes staring at him he looked back towards her. She turned and he saw her take a deep breath.

_" I'm really sorry Calleigh, about us...about what I did to you."_ He said.

_" Eric..not here."_ she whispered. Cutting her off he said _" I cant pretend that i don't care about you, that i don't miss __us, that it's killing me to be this close to you but yet so far away at the same time."_

_" Eric we are at your parents, maybe we shouldn't have this conversation here."_ She said.

_" They aren't coming over here. Don't worry...I didn't want to have this conversation here either, but I just want to __let you know that I'm very sorry for everything I put you through, it was never my intention to hurt you in anyway. __Completely the opposite."_

_***_

***flashback***

He didn't know exactly where he was going, all he remembers was getting in the car and driving. He wasn't even supposed to be driving by himself, because of the medication he had been in since getting out of his second brain surgery 2 weeks earlier, but he could stand being at home alone. He found himself stopping the car in front of his parents house, he noticed his two other sister were home aswell. Yeah, maybe this would be a distraction, he knew they were going to kill him once they found out he drove himself, but they would also distract him from whatever was going on. He sat inside his car for about 5 minutes, just staring into space and then he got out and made his away inside the house, he knew it'd be open. From the entrance he could hear they were all in the kitchen, so he just made his way there.

_" ERIC "_ He heard his sister yell as soon as she saw him walking towards the kitchen door. He also noticed his mom and Pavel, no his dad actually turn towards him. His younger sister Carla showing up next to him with this questioning look.

He looked at her and then at everybody else and smiled. _"What?"_ He knew what but just asked anyway.

_" How did you get here, Eric?"_ He heard his mom asked. He walked up to her gave her a kiss on the cheek and replied _" I drove __here."_ He said hi to his dad right after, by giving him a hug and then gave Izza a kiss on the cheek.

_" What do you mean you drove here? By yourself?" _Carla asked as he sat down on the table next to her.

_" yeah, i drove myself here."_

_" Eric you know you're not supposed to drive, especially by yourself."_ Pavel added.

_" I know...i just could stand being home anymore. I had to get away, found myself parked up front a few minutes later."_

_" What's wrong baby brother?"_ Izza asked.

_" Nothing, just bored...I can't go to work till a couple of weeks. I got tired of being home and doing nothing. I was __starting to get a little paranoid." _He explained.

_" Well, we're glad you made it here safe, but don't you ever do that again."_ Carla added

He laughed. _" Yes mom."_

"_ Can you stay for dinner Eric?"_ Pavel asked.

_" Hum yeah sure dad."_ He replied getting up and walking towards the living room.

_" Where you going?"_ Clorinda asked.

_" Bathroom, relax guys I'm fine."_ He replied back.

He had to smile at how worried they seemed to always be. He wasn't as bothered by it because since he was the baby, the attention had always been focused on him, but if he was being honest it sort of bothered him that they were on him all the time. His sisters left a short while after, to go pick up his niece at school and then go home. He stayed for dinner with his dad and mom...they talked during dinner, about how he was recovering, football, how work was going for his dad and a bunch of other stuff. Clorinda noticed how her son was acting a little strange, she knew something was bothering him, but she would wait till after dinner to ask him. After dinner was finished, Eric helped him mom with the dishes, said goodnight to his dad who always went to bed early.

He went into the living room and sat down on the couch, closing his eyes, he rested the back of his head on the couch. He soon felt someone sit down right next to him, he turned his head towards the direction and smiled and his mom. A "sad" smile she noticed.

_" Something bothering you mijo. What's wrong?"_

He closed his eyes once again and took a deep breath and let it out. _"How can you always tell?"_ he asked with a shy smile forming in his lips.

_" I'm your mom remember, I can always tell, so spill it."_

_" I don't know what's really bothering me mom. It's just ever since I got out of the hospital, I've been home and I don't feel like __doing anything...My mind keeps running non-stop."_

_" About?"_

_" Everything. Work, the shooting, the car crash, about the first time I was shoot, Mari...mostly about Calleigh though."_

_" Calleigh."_ He heard his mom whisper.

_" I never meant to hurt her mom. I wish I could explain that to her, make her understand."_ He softly added

"_ You haven't seen her?"_

_" No, I saw her at the hospital_ _but that was the last time. i was even surprised she was there you know, we hadn't been talking __much for about a week before the shoot out."_

_" She was there everyday eric. i saw her crying in alex arms, when you were in surgery. No one thought you were going to make __it. Two brain surgery is not something easy. She thought she killed you."_

_" I know...she just hit me on the shoulder. I went through much worst after the car crashed, even before."_

_" You haven't gotten the chance to talk?" _His mom asked.

_" No, I hurt her mom...something I told myself and her that I'd never make her go through again. I didn't listen, when she told me __to not get involved. I yelled at her, told her to stay out of my business, told her she didn't understand what it was like, I told her __how messed up her family was, how they always fucked up with her life, but she still helped them, so who was she to tell me what __to do when I was trying to help out sharova. I hurt her mom, I knew all her weak spots, all the ways to really hurt her and I used it."_

His mom saw a few tears run down his cheek.

_" Why Eric? Why would you make her go through that, when you deep inside you knew she was trying to protect you."_ His mom said firmly.

_" I know. I Knew, but I had gotten myself to far in. I just wanted to protect her you know. Maybe if i pushed her away a little she __wouldn't get involved with what I was doing. I never meant to push her to far mom, I swear_." A couple of more tears flowing down his face _"I was so mad and confused about everything and I took all out on her. I thought sharova had changed, I thought he __wanted to change, that's why I got involved. I thought I owned it to him, because he went to where I was being held and came __forward that I was actually his son. I never thought it would go this far, getting involved with the Russian mob, being involved in __a shootout like a criminal, getting shot again by the one person who was everything to me, the bullet shifting, trying to escape the__Russians after the car crashed, because i knew they found out that I was the one who called MDPD anonymous telling them the location __of the trade-off. Having surgery all over again. Remembering Marisol's death all over again. But even after going through all this, it hurts __the most knowing what I did to Calleigh."_

His mom shifted a little and placed her arms around Eric, she knew she was part to blame for all this. For not telling him earlier the truth about his birth, about who his father was. "_ I'm so sorry mijo."_ She said, ad few tears falling down her face aswell.

_" I miss her so much mom. I'm like so lost right now, I wish I could go back in time and take back everything I said to her, because I knew __she was only trying to protect me. I wouldn't have gotten involved with sharova. But I put him before her, for what? He completely destroyed __my life."_

_" What is done is done Eric. But Calleigh cares a lot about you mijo, you should've seen the stage she was in while you were in the hospital."_

_" She didn't deserve it mom. None of it, all the lies, all the pressure I placed upon her, all the bullshit." _he said shaking his head.

_" She didn't, and you were 100% wrong, but I don't need to tell you that because you already know."_

He nodded. _"I was hurt you know, even though I knew she was trying to protect me, I was mad that she couldn't trust me. It was like she __didn't trust me at all."_

_" She did Eric, because through everything you put her through after finding out about your father, knowing how dangerous he was, she __stood by you."_

_" I wish I could talk to her, let her know how truly sorry I am for everything."_ he said.

_" You can Eric, give it sometime and then try to talk to her."_

"_ I feel like i threw 10 years of friendship and a couple of months of relationship away."_ He said. They were both quiet for a couple of minutes, Eric tears had dried and when he looked at his mom, he saw a small smile starting to form in his mom's face.

_" What?"_ he asked a little confused.

_" You've completely fallen in love with Calleigh."_ she said.

His forehead wrinkled a little. _" What?"_ he asked

_" You've fallen in love with Calleigh, haven't you_?"..." I mean you don't only love her, because you've always have. But you've fallen in love." She added.

He was quiet for a few moments, Yeah he loved Calleigh. They've never said it to each other, but by the way they acted with each other it was obvious...But had he fallen in love with her? Because that was totally different. Now that he stopped to think about it, his mom was right, he had fallen in love with her. _"I think I feel in love with her a while ago, I've just been trying to ignore it, it's something I've never __felt before. She's perfect in every way mom and now that i don't have her here with me it's driving me crazy. Never in my life I thought __it would hurt this much to know a relationship is over."_

_" Doesn't mean you can't restart Eric. If you love her, then talk to her...at least let her know how you feel, that you're sorry. If things __have to end between you two, then end it in the right terms. You are one determined men, have been since you were little. I know that __if you care about her like i know you do, then you going to fight for this. I like Calleigh, always have. She's a nice person and I know that __she really cares about you. Whenever you're around her you're different. You're a better men when you're with her."_

_" I am."_ he added.

They sat there silent, then talked for a few minutes. A little later, his mom placed a kiss in his forehead and told him to get some rest, that he could go home in the morning. He was asleep by the time she got to her room. As she pulled the cover and lay down in bed, her husband faced her and asked if Eric was ok.

Her reply was _" Eric is in love."_ and with that she felt Pavel smile.

_" Calleigh? "_ He asked.

_" Oh yeah."_ Chlorida replied smiling.

_" He's been in love, probably just realized it though."_ He added _"Hope they work things out."_ and with that they both feel asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm so sorry for taking so long to upload this, I had sort of forgotten about it, until i received a review about in my inbox yesterday. : ) It's not that good of a chapter, but I'll update this story soon with a better one. Review please, I'd really appreciate it.

_" Eric."_ Calleigh whispered.

_" I know you don't want to talk about this here, and trust me i know it's not a good place, but I really need to explain things to you Calleigh"_

_" Eric, I don't think there's anything to explain."_

_" There's a lot to explain Calleigh and you know that. I know I hurt you, I'm not denying that, and you have no idea how much I regret not letting you know what was going on."_

_" Why now then?" _she harshly asked, now looking straight at him

He was shocked by the intensity in her eyes, which lead him to look down and pull at a small strand of grass._ " Because I had time to sit and think about it, to see things from your point of view."_

_" It took almost losing your life for you to see it Eric?"_ Calleigh said now hurt.

_" Calleigh, i didn't do things to hurt you..."_

and before he went any further Calleigh started speaking _" Yeah? what about when you threw my past in my face when we got in that argument Eric?"_

She didn't give him time to reply_ " uh? about how messed up my family is, how they always fuck up my life but I still helped them?...You don't think that hurt?"_

_" I was mad Calleigh, I didn't want listen to what you were telling me and i just reacted...I didn't mean it." _Eric said louder, attempting to let make her understand

_" You know you meant it Eric "_ Calleigh added softly but strong at the same time.

_" I didn't mean it the way it came out, I was mad and i said it to make you make you mad. And I'm so sorry because I know it hurt you. You have no idea how much i wish i could take it back."_

_" What's done is done Eric..."_

They both heard laughter coming from behind them. Eric looked back and saw his nieces running around the backyard and some of his family members starting to take their place in the backyard at the tables with sodas in their hands, his father and uncle were starting the grill with a beer in their hands. He knew that this wouldn't be a good time to talk about them, because the family would probably start to wonder where they'd disappeared to and he could tell that calleigh had noticed the same thing.

_" I know this is not a good time to talk, and I know you don't even want to talk...but I really am sorry calleigh, and I need to explain things to you so that you at least understand where I'm coming from, I'm not asking you to forget what happened and take me back." _Eric tried one more time.

_" Then what do you want Eric?" _She asked looking at him

_" I just want you to listen..." _Eric replied looking right at her eyes.

Calleigh did not say anything and for a while neither did Eric, he just looked at the sight in front of him and tried to gather his thoughts and voice it to her to make her at least give him a chance to explain.

_" you know me better then anyone Calleigh...you know I would never do things to purposely hurt you. If there's a part of you that still cares about me, about us, that misses what we had before this whole disaster started, please just give me a chance to talk to you. That's all I'm asking." _Eric started speaking looking towards the lake but by the end he was looking at her.

She knew for a fact that he knew that she still cared about him, because if she hadn't, she wouldn't be here. They'd been friends for years, best friends, and dated for another 7 months, and she couldn't lie about the fact that those were probably the best 7 months of her life, with the exception of those last weeks where things started going downhill with the whole sharova thing. She couldn't deny that during that time he made her feel unconditionally loved, even though the words were never voiced out loud. They had their disagreements from time to time, but nothing that wasn't solved by the end of the day, until now. She couldn't deny the fact that she knew he didn't do things with the intention of hurting her. Eric was the type of person who worn his heart in his sleeve, he always wanted to make others happy, he always found the good in others, but he also tended to forget the bad in them which eventually lead him to trouble. This time it almost cost him his life, and that scared her to death because as much as she hates to admit she depended a lot on him. She hadn't been there the day he was shot, but she remembers the feeling when she found out the officer down was Eric and he had been shot in the head, as if her heart was about to come out of her throat. She didn't think there was a worst feeling then that, but she was proven wrong this time. Even though they weren't talking for a week, things had been rocky even before that and she was still mad at him, when she saw him the car her heart drooped. She knew she had hit him in the car, she rarely missed. And she thought she was going to die when Horatio told her that they had found his car but Eric wasn't inside. There was blood everywhere and Sharova said it wasn't his, which could only have been Eric's. She was there the when they found him laying by the river and what she felt when she saw him was undescribable, she had never been so scared in her life. She was at the hospital every single day, even though he was unconscious throughout all of them, because of the surgery and she didn't return after he had waken up. She cried like never before, even in public and Calleigh was never one to let her emotions show in public, that's how she knew people in the lab knew something more was going on between her and Eric. She couldn't deny that a part of her missed him and still deeply cared about Eric. A big part of her.

And while thinking about all this, She couldn't deny that even through all this, she still found herself falling in love like never before for the man sitting next to her.


End file.
